Conditioning, Tebow Style

QB Reports To Patriots in Great Shape

The critics have had a field day with Tim Tebow, but there is one thing that has never been levied negatively at the young quarterback – his physical preparation. The guy can flat out bring it each and every time that he enters the gym or stadium. Even when he was toiling on the New York Jets bench last season, his work ethic was never questioned and even lauded. And that says volumes about Tebow, the man.

During the current offseason, even amongst the rumors that he was going to be released by the Jets, Tebow stayed with his program and prepared the same way that he always had. Being cut by the Jets in April may have been the best thing to happen to him, as he was never a good fit there in the first place.

So when the New England Patriots signed him on June 11, the questions grew ten-fold. But Bill Belichick did not make this move for the same reasons that the Jets did. You see, the Pats head coach does not like the dramatics that come with Tebowmania and already has one of the league’s best signal-callers in Tom Brady. So we will have to wait and see how this turns out, but it is obvious that Tebow’s hard work had paid off. If he became lazy and frustrated by the events that have occurred, then a man of Belichick’s stature would have nothing to do with him. “Tim’s a talented player that’s smart and works hard,” Belichick said in a press conference following a mini-camp practice.

Perhaps the main focus of Tebow’s training is the endurance factor. He puts himself through a tough series of movements that do not alter as the workout continues. By being able to accomplish what he set out to do as fatigue sets in makes him an explosive athlete.

Need an example? During his college career, Tebow used to run up and down every single aisle at the Gators home venue, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka ‘The Swamp.’ By taking all 1,500 steps in the sweltering Florida heat and humidity, the Heisman Trophy winner built up a level of endurance that would help him be as effective in the fourth quarter as the first.

Resistance training in the form of explosive lifts is what Tebow concentrates on. Here are a few movements that he performs:

He would transcend this philosophy into football drills and run through his fundamentals fresh and tired with little rest. Tebow mimics the same time frame that he would be using on the field (40 seconds) in between plays. This will allow his body to build up resistance and keep him from being out of breath when having to run the next play.

It’s hard to keep a guy like Tebow down. And he has made sure of that.